Many known vehicle seats are constructed of foam padding covered with cloth, vinyl, leather, etc. While such vehicle seats can offer a seat occupant a comfortable seating surface, these seats are not typically well suited for use in applications in which larger amounts of moisture and/or liquid water (e.g., marine applications, off-road vehicle applications, vehicles having seats exposed to the outdoor environment, etc.) may be present. For example, cloth, leather, foam padding, and the like may absorb liquid water and/or perspiration resulting in a wet, uncomfortable seating surface for the seat occupant. The retention of liquid by these seats may further aggravate occupant discomfort in cases where mold, bacteria, and other unhealthy and/or offensive contaminants collect on the seat materials.
To prevent the absorption of water by seating materials in, for example, marine applications, the seat may be upholstered with a heavy, non-water permeable material such as a heavy vinyl. While such seats can prevent the absorption of water by the seating surfaces, water may nevertheless collect or pool on the seating surfaces, particularly the seat bottom portion. As a result, the seat occupant may be forced to sit in pools of liquid water, which may be very uncomfortable, particularly in cases where the outdoor temperatures are relatively low and/or where the seat occupant must remain seated for relatively long periods of time. Additionally, while the vinyl seating surfaces may be substantially non-permeable to water, the seams between the vinyl panels composing the seating surfaces may not be non-water permeable. As a result, water may pass through the seams and into the foam and/or other padding within the seat. Still further, even if liquid water has not collected on the heavy vinyl seating surfaces, these surfaces do not breathe well and, thus, may cause the portions of the seat occupant's body that are in contact with the seating surfaces to become uncomfortable.
Another difficulty commonly encountered with vehicle seats is a lack of application flexibility. More specifically, a vehicle seat design for use in a particular type and/or model of vehicle may not be suitable for use in another type and/or model of vehicle. As a result, a vehicle seat manufacturer may be forced to design, produce, and/or inventory a relatively large number of seats and related components.